Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was wandering around here over the last couple of weeks wondering when this was going to start. I am here almost 16 years, not half as long as the Acting Chair, Deputy Ring, obviously, and every year this happens. Legislation is just turfed in and we are expected to speak to it, deal with it and table amendments to it. It is terrible practice. I thought this year it was not going to happen because it has been so quiet. It has been a bit eerie for the last number of weeks, from my point of view anyway, but here we go. It has started. The Minister of State has launched it in here this evening with so many amendments. All are very important. There are some of which I am very supportive and there are others of which I am not. No wonder the Government could not build houses if the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage does its business this way because rushed legislation, as we all know, is bad and has defects.

There is never a thought given to unintended consequences. With this kind of mixed bag of liquorice allsorts we have this evening, anything could go wrong. It could make plenty of money in the future for our learned friends with the wigs across the river but people will suffer in the meantime as will institutions. We are all for wave power or wind power or harnessing that but this is a conglomerate of dolly mixtures that I am not happy with and neither are my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group or the committees.

Even technocrats like my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, cannot cope with the amendments. There is no time for them to do that and there is no proper debate. There is one hour for these dolly mixtures, and God knows the consequences. It is a very shabby and shoddy way to work. It is deliberate on the Government’s part obviously, and of successive governments parts. Like Deputy Ó Broin, I am not blaming the officials who are doing what they are asked, but it is just too much and it does not show proper respect or regard.

Rates were mentioned and changing the situation around the payment and collection of rates. We have issues with that. I have no issue with people who are genuinely unable to pay them but for others who seek to avoid paying them by ceasing trading or changing companies, that certainly needs to be tightened up.

I fully support elected councillors being able to be replaced, but you could not possibly tease all this out in an hour. Maybe we could in ten or 12 hours and in different segments but this is ridiculous.

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